• Huh? Newspaper Columnist Calls For Copyrighting News
    Columnist Connie Schultz at the Cleveland Plain Dealer has added her voice to those calling for new laws that would prevent Web sites from summarizing news stories that originate elsewhere.
  • Iran's Use of Deep Packet Inspection Spurs New Call Against 'Virtual Wiretap'
    The current events in Iran have spurred digital rights advocates to renew calls for Congress to investigate deep packet inspection technology. This morning, groups including the Open Internet Coalition, Free Press, Public Knowledge and the ACLU wrote to Congress to ask for hearings about how U.S. companies are using deep packet inspection, or "virtual wiretap" technology.
  • Federal Judge Wants To Copyright News
    Yesterday at 5:20 p.m., the Web site TMZ.com reported that pop star Michael Jackson had died. TMZ's scoop was soon picked up by every major media outlet -- online and otherwise -- in the country. But some industry watchers are floating a proposal to revise copyright law in a way that could prevent this type of news distribution in the future.
  • AP Turns Employees Into Facebook Police
    The Associated Press' new social networking policy shows, once again, that the news organization hasn't yet grasped the workings of digital media. The company's new rules, obtained by Wired, instruct staff to avoid expressing "political views" or taking "stands on contentious issues." But the AP goes beyond just telling employees to keep quiet. The organization also proposes that employees should censor their friends. "It's a good idea to monitor your profile page to make sure material posted by others doesn't violate AP standards; any such material should be deleted," states the policy.
  • Watchdogs Question 'TV Everywhere'
    Time Warner and Comcast announced today that they have partnered to offer "The Closer," "My Boys" and other TNT and TBS programs online for free, but only to people who already subscribe to Comcast video. The program, often referred to as "TV Everywhere," will require users to authenticate that they're paying customers. Initially, the companies will roll out the initiative to 5,000 users.
  • FTC: BT Privacy Strategies 'Not Working'
    A recent talk by some Federal Trade Commission officials confirms that the agency is taking a hard look at online advertising practices.
  • City Drops Quest For Job Seekers' Passwords
    While Bozeman appears to have been unique in asking prospective employees to supply names and passwords, some employers appear equally disrespectful of the privacy of people already on the payroll.
  • City To Job Seekers: What's Your Facebook Password?
    The problem here goes far beyond the privacy rights of job applicants. That's because if the government has access to people's messages, it's also getting information about people's friends -- information that those friends had no reason to think would be shared with Bozeman human resources officials.
  • Hearing: Congress Nervous About Privacy, But Iffy On BT Laws
    Seems like some lawmakers aren't big fans of behavioral targeting techniques these days. At a Congressional hearing this morning about privacy, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said he "hits the delete button" every few days to erase cookies. "The information about myself is mine," he said. "Unless I choose to share it, I would just as soon it stay as my information only."
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